The whole package
So my Zenni Optical glasses arrived, looks like it took almost exactly 2 weeks from date or order. First thing I notice about them is that they don't really look like the photo on the site: they're wider and flatter than I expected. Also they're black and not brown, but I checked my original order and I apparently ordered black for some reason, so my bad. Also the earpieces are longer and more wrap-around-the-skull style than I thought. I went through the list of $8 frames to make sure they sent me the right model. Truly no other frame matched as closely but the ones on the site are definitely more square than these. Oh well.
Quality-wise, they feel like the cheap sunglasses you buy on the street for $5. This is sort of what I expected, and hey, I have some $5 sunglasses I've had for years. Due to the odd temples pieces, they kind of pinch the back of my head, but maybe that's because I don't have any hair to cushion the blow. Again, they're wider than I thought so I feel like a pinhead but I suppose I could get used to that. I still wish they were taller, I hate feeling like my range of vision is reduced to this little rectangle.
On the plus side, the little sunshade attachment seems to work fine, and is a nice solution to trying to swap out prescription sunglasses every time I walk outside. The glasses are really light which is nice as my regular frames are a bit heavy. I can't even imagine anymore what it would be like to have actual glass in the frames, we must have had calluses built on on our noses.
Overall, they seem fine if a little more nondescript than I had hoped. I am wondering if I ordered them with a narrower pupillary distance they might look a little better on my head. But that's another $8! Actually it was $22 all told, with the anti-glare coating, sunshade and shipping. Still a pretty good deal. I saw a subway ad for Cohen's Fashion Optical, they're advertising a special on specs, $99 for a set. I'm sure their glasses are higher-quality but I can basically buy 4 sets before I come close to paying that much.
The whole pinhead
6 Comments
They look great! I'm so glad you tried them because I've been hesitating for over a year and I needed someone to be a test case for me. Two friends of mine get all of their glasses from Zenni and they love it. I needed a third person to give a positive review just to be safe. Thanks, Jimmy Legs!
–Petra
glad to help out, despite my issues it still seems like a good deal. my flickr site has a few more photos of the specs.
They work for you! It's always exciting to get new glasses… I'm getting a new pair in 2 weeks (it's been 5 years!!) & my first pair of prescription sunglasses! Woot woot! Sears optical had a good deal where I live in Ontario, of course with all the scratch guard & thin lenses it still ended up being about $350 for the 2 pair… so your deal kinda blows my mind!
with the shades you look like mr. anderson in his cubicle, if you know what i mean… glasses look great!
Comfort is definitely one issue that concerns most people when purchasing cheap sunglasses. In the long run, quality is actually a better deal. If you opt not to sacrifice quality over price, check out BestBuyEyeglasses.com – the site features designer eyeglasses from the top names in the industry at deep discount prices.
Based on this year-old blog post, I just ordered new glasses from the same place. Thanks!